The subject matter disclosed herein relates to a combustion system and, more specifically, to a fuel nozzle with an improved design to increase fuel-air mixing within the fuel nozzle.
A gas turbine engine combusts a mixture of fuel and air to generate hot combustion gases, which in turn drive one or more turbine stages. In particular, the hot combustion gases force turbine blades to rotate, thereby driving a shaft to rotate one or more loads, e.g., an electrical generator. The gas turbine engine includes a fuel nozzle to inject fuel and air into a combustor. As can be appreciated, the fuel-air mixture significantly affects engine performance, fuel consumption, and emissions. Some fuel nozzles, such as multi-tube fuel nozzles, include a plurality of tubes configured to mix fuel and air. In such fuel nozzles, the length and diameter of the tubes affect the quality of mixing. Unfortunately, long tubes or small diameter tubes may increase costs, weight, and stress on the turbine engine.